Creel for yarn packages



May 2, 1939. w. w. EDWARDS 2,157,073

CREEL FOR YARN PACKAGES Filed May 26, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l lnvenTor. Wilhom W. Edwards y/eand MIW Anya May 2, 1939.

W W. EDWARDS 2,157,073 CREEL FOR YARN PACKAGES Filed May 26, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 l' 1 L Q- 38 dwgae M %s7@ b lnvemor. WIIHcJm V\/. Edwards AT Tys.

y 2, 1939- w. w. EDWARDS 2,157,073

' CREEL FOR YARN PACKAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 26, 1938 I l I I I I I v I l l a I I 1 I I I I I I I I,

lnvenTor. William W. Edwards byw A1Ty s.

Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CREEL FOR YARN PACKAGES Application May 26, 1938, Serial No. 210,138

16 Claims.

This invention relates to a creel for yarn packages, such, for example, as bobbins, and particularly for bobbins of a large size or holding a large quantity of yarn. The creel is designed for use in spooling or similar operations where the yarn is drawn successively in continuity from a series of yarn packages or bobbins.

One of the purposes for which the creel of this invention may be used is for holding bobbins Wound on a staggered system wool mule, which bobbins contain at least four times the amount usually contained on bobbins wound on the ordinary spinning mule,

The object of .the invention is to provide a construction in which there is a plurality of laterally arranged pairs of supports for the yarn packages with the supports of each pair so mounted on the creel frame as to have movement in rectilinear paths intersecting at a yarn guide and in which the yarn packages are carried by their supports endwise between laterally overlapping running positions equidistant from the yarn guide and laterally adjacent supplying positions.

The object of the invention is further to provide such a construction in which, when a yarn package of each pair is in its running position, its butt will be substantially opposite the tip of the other yarn package when in its supplying position, thus enabling the trailing end of the yarn of the former yarn package readily to be tied to the leading end of the yarn of the latter yarn package.

The object of the invention is further to provide such a construction in .a compact form so as to take up a minimum amount of space, first, by arranging the rectilinear paths of the pairs of supports in vertically separated lateral rows with the running positions of the yarn packages of each lower row underlying the supplying positions of the next upper row, second, in arranging the planes of the pairs of said rectilinear paths inclined to the vertical at an angle on the order of 45 or inclined to the vertical at such an angle that the over-all vertical height required for a given plurality of said rows is substantially that required for the same number of rows arranged in vertical position.

The object of the invention is further to provide such a construction of creel in which the yarn packages or bobbins are mounted upon carriages with each carriage mounted to slide upon a guide bar to secure the required movements in rectilinear paths intersecting at the yarn guide and further to provide means acting releasably to interlock each carriage with its guide bar at the upper limit of its movement.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will 5 be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings illustrate a creel embodying a preferred form of the invention and particularly designed for holding large bobbins containing a relatively large mass of yarn, but it will be un- 10 derstood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular size of bobbin employed nor to the particular form of yarn package provided that the yarn package is so wound as to leave a trailing end which may be tied to the leading end 15 of another yarn package and so wound as readily to permit the yarn to be drawn oil from the tip end as in the case of the'filling wind. The creel illustrated is further particularly designed for use in connection with .a spooler in which the 20 yarn is wound onto a spool with any required number of ends and with these ends of any required length, each end being formed by tying together the yarn drawn from successive yarn packages or bobbins.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation partially broken away of the creel.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation partially broken away and without repetition of similar elements. 30

Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating one unit or pair of guide members, bobbins, etc., .and looking in a direction normal to the plane of the guide members.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of one of the guide members, carriage and supported bobbin partially in cross section.

Fig. 5 is a view in plan and cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The creel frame may be of any suitable con- 40 struction and is herein shown as built up of angle irons or other suitable members and provided at each side with a plurality of boxes orcompartments for the full bobbins and at the bottom with a plurality of trays for the empty bobbins. In the construction illustrated, there are three vertically separated lateral rows of laterally arranged pairs of laterally adjacent longitudinal guide members but the number of these rows may obviously be varied as required by the conditions and so also the number of pairs in each row may be varied.

At each side the creel frame is shown as having a skeleton construction built up of angle irons including a base member I, a rear upright 2, a 5

top horizontal member 3 and inclined front members 4 .and 5 with a horizontal strut 6 connecting the junction of the members 4 and 5 to the upright 2. At the bottom of the frame one or more trays to receive the empty bobbins are removably mounted on angle irons 8 and 9 extending laterally between the sides of the frame.

At each side there is permanently secured to the frame a sheet metal box .it divided into a plurality of compartments herein shown as three in number, N, |2 and i3. These compartments hold supplies of full bobbins or yarn packages in convenient position for placing in the creel by the operator.

For each lateral row of pairs of supports for the yarn packages there is provided at each side of the frame a strut and as three rows are here illustrated, there are three of these struts, l4, I5, and I6. Between each pair of these struts extending laterally or transversely of the creel is a pair of girders I? and l8; l9

and 20; 2| and 22.

Since each pair of supports for the yarn packages or bobbins has the same principle of operation, and since the preferred construction for securing this operation for each pair is the same throughout the entire creel it will be sufiicient to describe in detail one unit of the preferred form illustrated. For this purpose, the upper left-hand unit of Figs. 1 and 2 is shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

As typical of the yarn packages, there is illustrated a pair of bobbins 23 and 24. Each of these bobbins is shown seated on a spindle 25 with the base of the bobbin resting in a seat 26 secured to the spindle. Each spindle is supported on a carriage 21 having an upright 28 mounted to slide upon one of the two guide bars 29 and 3B. A yarn guide 3| is mounted on a strut 32 extending transversely at the top. of the frame. The pair of guide bars 29 and 30 are secured to the girders H and i8 and so positioned as to cause the axes of the respective bobbin spindles 25, as the carriages slide on the guide bars 29 and 30, to move in paths intersecting at the yarn guide 3|. The guide bars also are so positioned adjacent each other that the running positions of the two bobbins, or the position in which the yarn is drawn off from the.

bobbin, overlap as indicated by the full line position of the bobbin 23 and the dotted line ment, are closely adjacent and preferably so closely. adjacent that a substantially exhausted bobbin on the one carriage and a full bobbin on the other carriage will just pass each other when the carriages are shifted in opposite directions between their upper and lower limits. When in running position, each bobbin is equidistant from the yarn guide 3|.

Each carriage is provided with suitable means acting releasably to interlock it with its guide bar at the upper limit of its movement. For this purpose a spring catch 33 is secured to the upper end of each guide bar and is provided with a pin 34 to snap into a recess 35 in the upright 28 of the carriage. Each carriage is limited as to its downward movement and positioned to hold the bobbin in supplying position by a stop 34A at the lower end of its guide bar.

In Fig. 3 the bobbin 23 is shown in running position, its yarn 36 extending through the guide eye 3|, thence forward to one of a lateral row of guide eyes 3'! mounted on a girder 38 at the front of the top of the frame 3 and from thence to the spooler or other machine. It will be seen that the bobbin when thus in its running position with its carriage locked to the upper end of the guide bar 30 has its butt located substantially opposite the tip of the other bobbin 24 of the pair. Ihe bobbins are so wound that a trailing end of the yarn 36 extends from the butt of the bobbin and is thus in position readily to be tied to the leading end of the yarn 39 at the tip of the bobbin 22. Consequently, when the yarn is wound off from the bobbin 23 in running position, it will immediately begin to draw from the other bobbin 24 and thus the yarn will continously run from the creel. The same thing is true if the bobbin 24 is in running position and the bobbin 23 in supply position, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

When, therefore, a bobbin in the upper or running position is approaching exhaustion or is exhausted, the operator shifts the carriage for this bobbin to its lower or supply position and shifts the full bobbin with its carriage from its supply position to its running position. The ideal operation would be to shift one bobbin down and the other up just as the yarn runs off the first one and begins to draw from the second, but this may be done when the first bobbin is approaching exhaustion or after it has become exhausted, because with the first bobbin substantially or entirely exhausted, there is no danger from the ballooning of the yarn before the full bobbin is moved to its upper or running position.

When an empty bobbin is in its lower or supply position, the operator then removes it from its support, throws it into the tray 7, takes a full bobbin from one of the compartments at the side of the frame, places it upon the carriage and, as its tip is now opposite the butt of the running bobbin, ties its leading end to the trailing end of the running bobbin. Thus it will be seen that the yarn runs continuously through the guide eye 3| and an indefinite series of bobbins may be used to maintain the continuity of the yarn. It will also be seen that the position of the running bobbin with respect to its guide eye 3| is always the same, whichever bobbin be in running position.

The pairs of guide bars or the unit illustrated in Fig. 3 is repeated transversely across the frame as many times as desired, according to the width of the frame, and these bars are placed closely adjacent each other. A minimum amount of space is thus taken up laterally of the. frame because of the overlapping of the running positions of the full bobbins and the closely adjacent position of the supplying position of the bobbins.

A plurality of these lateral rows of pairs is further illustrated with the rows vertically separated but closely adjacent, three such rows being illustrated. The arrangement is the same in each row, the only difference being in the arrangement of the guide eyes. In the second lower row the guide eyes 40 to which the yarn runs from the bobbins are supported from the girder I! and so arranged that the distance from the tip of the bobbin in running position in the second row to its guide eye A0 is the same as the distance from the tip of the bobbin in position in the first row to its guide eye 3|. It is this relationof the guide eye to the bobbin which is important. Thereafter the yarn may take any desired course and, as shown, the yarn 4| from a bobbin of the secnd row runs from its guide eye 40 up to a guide eye 42 on the strut 32, thence to one of the guide eyes 31 and forward. The third or lowermost row of bobbins is similarly arranged, the guide eyes 43 therefor .being supported from the girder IS with the yarn 44 running from thence to a guide eye 45 on the strut 32, thence to one of the guide eyes 31 and forward as before.

In .order to make the arrangement as compact as possible, the pairs of girders supporting the pairs of guide bars in the various lateral rows are so positioned that the running positions of the bobbins of each lower row underlies and is substantially directly beneath the supplying positions of the bobbins of the next upper row. This will be clearly seen from Fig. l and is illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein a bobbin 46 of the second row is indicated in its running position with respect to the first or uppermost row. Again it will be noted that the planes of the paths of the rows of guide members or bars are inclined to the vertical and this inclination is preferably such that the over-all vertical height required for a given plurality of said rows is substantially that required for the same number of rows if they were arranged in vertical position and this is effected by inclining the rows to the vertical at an angle on the order of 45.

There is thus presented a very efficient, simple and compact creel in which the yarn packages or bobbins may be readily removed and replaced by the operator to maintain the yarn ends running in continuity from any number or series of bobbins. Since the bobbins usually contain about i the same amount of yarn and are started at the same time, the bobbins run out or become exhausted of yarn about the same time but the shift of the exhausted or substantially exhausted bobbins from running position to supply position and the shift of the full bobbins from the supply position to running position are very quickly effected by the operator throughout the entire creel. Ample time then is left for the operator to remove the exhausted bobbins standing in supply position and substitute therefor the full bobbins and tie the leading ends of the fresh full bobbins to the trailing ends of the bobbins in running position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A creel for yarn packages comprising a frame, a lateral row of yarn guides on the rfame, and a plurality of laterally arranged pairs of supports for the yarn packages with the supports of each pair mounted on the frame for movement in rectilinear paths intersecting at a yarn guide to carry the yarn packages endwise between laterally overlapping running positions equidistant from the yarn guide and laterally adjacent supplying positions.

2. A creel for yarn packages comprising the construction defined in claim 1, in which when a yarn package of each pair is in running position its butt is opposite the tip of the other yarn package when in supplying position thus enabling the trailing end of the yarn of the former readily to be tied to the leading end of the yarn of the latter.

3. A creel for yarn packages comprising a frame, a plurality of lateral rows of yarn guides on the frame, a corresponding plurality of lateral rows of laterally arranged pairs of supports for the yarn packages with the supports of each pair mounted on the frame for movement in rectilinear paths intersecting at a yarn guide to carry the yarn packages. endwise between laterally overlapping running positions equidistantfrom the yarn guide and laterally adjacent supplying position, and with the said rows vertically separated and with the running positions of the yarn packages of each lower row underlying the supplying positions of the next upper row.

4. .A creel for yarn packages comprising a frame, a lateral row of yarn guides on the frame, a lateral row of laterally arranged pairs of laterally adjacent longitudinal guide members, and a supporting carriage on each guide member for supporting a yarn package endwise in parallelism with the guide member, with the guide members of each pair mounted on the frame to cause the longitudinal axes of the yarn packages to move in paths intersecting at a yarn guide and to cause the yarn packages to move between laterally overlapping running positions equidistant from the yarn guide and laterally adjacent supplying positions.

5. A creel for yarn packages comprising the construction defined in claim 4, in which the guide members of each pair are of a length to cause one yarn package when in running position to have its butt opposite the tip of the other yarn package when in supplying position thus enabling the trailing end of the yarn of the former readily to be tied to the leading end of the yarn of the latter.

6. A creel for yarn packages comprising a frame, a plurality of lateral rows of yarn guides on the frame, a corresponding plurality of lateral rows of laterally arranged pairs of laterally adjacent longitudinal guide members, a supporting carriage on each guide member for supporting a yarn package endwise in parallelism with the guide member, the guide members of each pair mounted on the frame to cause the longitudinal axes of the yarn packages to move in paths intersecting at a yarn guide, the guide members being of a length to cause the yarn packages of each pair to move between laterally overlapping running positions equidistant from the yarn guide and laterally adjacent supplying positions with one yarn package when in running position having its butt opposite the tip of the other yarn package when in supplying position.

'7. A creel for yarn packages comprising the construction defined in claim 6, in which the said rows are vertically separated and with the running positions of the yarn packages of each lower row underlying the supplying positions of the next upper row.

8. A creelfor yarn packages comprising the construction defined in claim 6, in which the said rows are vertically separated and with the running positions of the yarn packages of each lower row underlying the supplying positions of the next upper row and in which the planes of the paths of said rows of guide members are inclined to the vertical at an angle on the order of 45.

9. A creel for yarn packages comprising the construction defined in claim 6, in which the said rows are vertically separated and with the running positions of the yarn packages of each lower row underlying the supplying positions of the next upper row and in which the planes of the paths of said guide members are inclined to the vertical at such an angle that the over-all vertical height required for a given plurality of said rows is substantially that required for the same number of rows arranged in vertical position.

10. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising a irame, a lateral row of yarn guides on the frame, aplurality of laterally arranged pairs of laterally adjacent guide bars, a carriage mounted to slide on each guide bar, a bobbin spindle on each carriage extending parallel with its guide bar with the guide bars of each pair positioned to cause the axes of the bobbin spindles to move in paths intersecting at a yarn guide, the guide bars being of a length to cause each carriage of each pair at the upper limit of its movement to position the tip of the bobbin carried thereby at the same distance from the yarn guide and with its butt opposite the tip of a bobbin on the other carriage standing at the lower limit of its movement.

11. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising the construction defined in claim 10, together with means acting releasably to interlock each carriage with its guide bar at the upper limit of its movement.

12. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising the construction defined in claim 10, together with a spring catch at the upper end of each guide bar acting releasably to lock its carriage in running position at the upper limit of its movement.

13. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising the construction defined in claim 10, in which the guide bars of each pair are arranged at an angle to cause the positions of the bobbins at the upper limit of movement to overlap.

141A creel for yarn bobbins comprising the construction defined in claim 10, in which the guide bars of each pair are arranged at an angle to cause the positions of the bobbins at the upper limit of movement to overlap and to allow a substantially exhausted bobbin on the one carriage and a full bobbin on the other carriage to pass each other when the carriages are being shifted in opposite directions between their upper and lower limits of movement.

15. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising a frame, a plurality of pairs of bobbin supports, each support of each pair mounted for movement on the frame between a running position and a supplying position; a yarn guide for each pair on the frame, the running positions of the supports of each pair being difierent at the same distance from the yarn guide for the pair with the axis of each bobbin of the pair intersecting the said yarn guide, and the supplying positions of the supports of each pair being different but closely adjacent and distant from the running positions by substantially the length of the bobbin.

16. A creel for yarn bobbins comprising the construction defined in claim 15, in which the running positions of the bobbins carried by the supports of each pair overlap.

WILLIAM W. EDWARDS. 

